


The Beauty Of The Sea

by Izzyfandoms



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Pirates, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27914290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzyfandoms/pseuds/Izzyfandoms
Summary: Captain Emile Picani was smart.He had heard all of the numerous tales about merfolk – also commonly known as sirens, especially by those who feared and disliked them, as that was the most monstrous term – and he knew exactly what they were capable of. He knew they were dangerous, and he therefore also knew that it was in his and his crew’s best interest to avoid them, and avoid the trouble that they always brought.Emile planned journeys around the places that merfolk were most often spotted, avoiding the most dangerous waters and making sure to never lose a single sailor to the seductive songs of the sirens.He would not have survived for so long if he was not smart, which was why it was strange when he, of all pirates, ran into a lone siren in the middle of the night, when the full moon hung high in the star-speckled sky.And he hadn’t even been on his ship.Fate really must have been working against him that night.
Relationships: Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	The Beauty Of The Sea

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday today! So I wrote this super self indulgent remile oneshot lol

Captain Emile  Picani was smart.

He had heard all of the numerous tales about merfolk – also commonly known as sirens, especially by those who feared and disliked them, as that was the most monstrous term – and he knew exactly what they were capable of. He knew they were dangerous, and he therefore also knew that it was in his and his crew’s best interest to avoid them, and avoid the trouble that they always brought.

Emile planned journeys around the places that merfolk  were most often spotted, avoiding the most dangerous waters and making sure to never lose a single sailor to the seductive songs of the sirens.

He would not have survived for so long if he was not smart, which was why it was strange when he, of all pirates, ran into a lone siren in the middle of the night, when the full moon hung high in the star-speckled sky. 

And he hadn’t even been on his ship.

Fate really must have been working against him that night.

Emile had been walking down a beach alone – his ship docked for the night, half of his crew remaining on board, and the other half exploring the town – when he turned a corner, and suddenly saw the man reclining in the gentle waves that licked at the sand.

His skin was perfect – tan and smooth, unmarked and damp – shimmering in the moonlight as he lay on the beach on his back: on the sand, but with the waves splashing over his body. The man’s arms were spread out above his head, his fingers splayed across the sand, letting it slip through the gaps between them. His hair was as dark as the deepest, deepest depths of the ocean: the ones unexplored by all but the creatures who lurked inside.

And, instead of a pair of legs, the man had one long fish tail – a shining silver – that perfectly reflected the beams of moonlight that came down from the sky, shining brightly like a mirror showing candles. He wore nothing but a silver necklace around his neck that matched his scales, though the tail replaced anything that clothes would have needed to hide.

He was by far the most beautiful man Emile had ever seen.

Despite that, all things considered, he should have turned and walked away. If he had turned and fled back to town, the merman might not have noticed him. He certainly would not have been able to follow on foot.

Emile could have escaped, if he had really wanted to.

But, instead, he came closer, his boots crunching against the sand as he walked down the beach.

He needed to get a better look at this beautiful, beautiful man. He needed to see this face up close, to admire every little detail like a perfectly painted picture or a perfectly carved statue.

So, despite the part of himself yelling to run away – the logical voice in his head, the only part unaffected by the hypnotic beauty of the merman lounging in front of him – Emile listened to the rest of him that  _ screamed  _ to walk over to him.

The allure of the merfolk was no joke, and Emile regretted his few doubts about the stories he had heard from fellow pirates – quiet tales told when sailing long into the night, fearful and mourning, or noisier ones told over drinks in taverns, drunk and wrathful. He wanted – no, he  _ needed –  _ to join this man on the beach, to sit next to him and talk to him and get a better look of the beauty that stunned him, even from so many feet away, in the darkness punctured only by the moonlight and the stars.

The merman looked up at Emile when he stopped just beside him. His gaze made Emile’s face immediately turn hot and red, though he hoped that the darkness hid his blush from sight.

For a moment, the merman just stared up at Emile, looking almost... surprised?

Then, he smiled, with two rows of knife-sharp, bright white teeth. He looked half a shark and half a man: a predator that could eat any prey that it desired, anyone that crossed its path.

All of a sudden, it was like the rest of the world had melted away, and Emile couldn’t see anything but him, him, him. Everything else on earth could have died, but Emile would not have noticed, too lost in the merman’s eyes.

“Oh, my,” the merman practically purred as he stared up at Emile. “You sure are pretty for a human.”

Emile felt his face heat further – like his face was set on fire – and his heart stuttered from a mix of swirling fear and desire. The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, blocking his breaths and leaving him completely unable to speak. He swallowed.

The merman tilted his head, giving Emile a curious look.

Now, up close and lit by the moonlight, Emile could see that his irises were silver, perfectly matching his tail. Around his eyes were markings as black as his hair, and he stared at Emile without ever needing to blink or shift his gaze, like he was looking right through his skin and into his soul.

“What is your name, pirate?” The merman continued.

“Um... how do you know I’m a pirate?” Emile asked: that being the only sentence he had managed to string together.

The merman smiled at him once more. “Your clothes make it obvious. I’ve met enough pirates to know one when I see one.”

He said the word ‘met’ like most people said the word ‘ate’, full of an exaggerated hunger and delight, though Emile still wasn’t entirely sure if that was exactly what the merman had meant.

Perhaps that was just Emile’s prejudice against merfolk clouding his judgement. It was difficult to tell what was real and what was imagined in a moment like this.

Emile tried not to make assumptions, even when it came to the terrifying merfolk that he had heard so many terrible stories about. He had never lost a crewmate personally, but he had met plenty of pirates who had. He knew what they were capable of, and he had never heard of a siren who was anything but hungry and cruel.

“I asked you a question,” the merman continued, in an amused, playful voice. “What is your name?”

“My name is... Emile. Emile Picani”

Emile was hesitant – he had heard stories of creatures who could do terrible things if they only had your name, but he was sure that merfolk weren’t one of them. Names were less important than beauty, when it came to these gorgeous creatures of the sea.

“Emile,” the merman repeated slowly. Then, he smiled again. “A pretty name for a pretty face. I’m Remy.”

“Remy,” Emile repeated, the word tasting like molten sugar on his tongue: a sweet treat that he was fortunate to obtain. “What- what are you doing here, Remy?”

Remy stretched his arms, never taking his eyes off of Emile.

“Bathing in the moonlight. You?”

“I’m... walking. Just walking.”

That prompted Remy’s eyes to drift downwards – slowing looking over Emile’s body, from his eyes to his chest to his hips to his legs. Then, his gaze flicked back up again. 

Emile felt his face warm yet again, though it had hardly cooled down from before – like his skin was on fire, despite the cool wind in the air – but he wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as he felt she should have been, being eyed by such a dangerous predator. He felt... seen. Comfortable.

(He wanted to know what kissing a creature with so many teeth would feel like.)

If Remy wanted to kill Emile, if he wanted to drag him to the bottom of the sea and drown and eat him alive, he would have been able to easily. He was so close; he could have his  hands on Emile before the pirate could even blink. Emile wasn’t sure he even would have complained.

Being killed by such a pretty face certainly wasn’t the worst way to go.

Emile swallowed. “Are you going to kill me?”

Remy seemed to think about this for a moment, his eyes fixing on Emile’s as he tilted his head to one side.

“No,” he finally decided.

Emile blinked, and took a step back in shock.

“What?”

“No,” Remy repeated.

Then, he grinned and suddenly moved forward, pushing himself up and stretching until his face was oh-so close to Emile’s – close enough for a kiss, which was enough to banish any thoughts other than Remy, Remy,  _ Remy _ from Emile’s head.

“Why not?” Emile asked, in a voice far more strangled than it had been before.

Remy continued to smile at him. “A pretty face like yours wouldn’t suit a corpse.”

And then, in the blink of an eye – so quick that Emile almost missed it – Remy leapt back, diving into the waves and swimming away. He was practically invisible the moment he hit the waves, just the flash of the silver, moonlight-reflecting tale, and then he was gone.

And Emile was alone.

***

Emile knew he should have been glad that he’d so easily survived an encounter with a siren. He should have been happy to have escaped with his life. He should have done everything in his power to make sure he was never put into that situation again.

But, instead... he missed the merman.

And he desperately, desperately wanted to see him again.

Whatever spell he had been under when he’d first met Remy had worn off, and yet he still felt so drawn to him. It wasn’t just the pull of magic, it was  curiosity and desire, too.

Real curiosity and real desire. Not the sorts of things that a siren’s magic produced.

Emile wanted to see Remy again. He  _ had  _ to see Remy again.

And so, the next opportunity he got, he walked down the same beach, at the same time of night, and alone yet again – despite the advice he had gotten from his first mate, Patton, who was the only person he had  told about the initial incident. 

But when he arrived at that exact same spot, Remy was not there.

Emile deflated. 

Of course. 

Of course, he wasn’t there. Merfolk could traverse the whole ocean, why would he be in the same place? Why would he have stuck around? Why would he have returned?

Why would he care so much about finding Emile again?

Emile sat down on a large rock, facing away from the sea, taking off his hat and squeezing it in his hands. He looked it over, turning it in his hands again and again as he silently berated himself. This was a stupid idea: an absolute waste of his time.

Of course.  Of course, he-

“ What’cha thinking ‘bout?” Came a sudden voice behind him, a pur that almost wasn’t words.

Emile jolted, and immediately slipped right off the rock, falling to the ground with an uncomfortable thump. He yelped – half in pain and half in surprise – his hat slipping right through his fingers and landing on the damp sand just beside him.

He got up quickly, and spun around with widened eyes.

There, lounging in the waves just behind the rock, and looking incredibly, incredibly pleased with himself, was Remy: his face lit by moonlight, and just as gorgeous as it had been before. He didn’t look surprised to see Emile, he just smiled at him: not predatory like it had been before – the look that had made Emile wonder if he was about to become a meal – but teasing and cheerful, like he was absolutely thrilled to see him.

Delighted.

And it made Emile’s heart skip a beat in his chest.

“Uh- um-”

“I wasn’t expecting to see you again,” Remy said, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head, floating on his back on the waves. “Most don’t risk second encounters with the sirens they escape from. You seem too smart for that.” His smile never fell.

Emile swallowed, poking his fallen hat with the tip of his boat.

“I didn’t- I didn’t  _ escape.  _ You never attacked me, you just... left.” He paused. “Why? Why didn’t you hurt me?”

Remy tilted his head. “Didn’t I tell you why, Emile?”

He spoke Emile’s name slowly, like every syllable was the tastiest of desserts.

Emile shook his head. “I know, but... but that doesn’t make sense,” he insisted. “I’m sure merfolk are far more beautiful than humans. If all you wanted was a pretty face, you could find plenty amongst your own kind. That’s- that’s no reason not to kill me, if you really wanted to. And- and you didn’t even expect to see me again. Why?”

Remy’s expression turned unreadable: no longer smiling, and with his brow creased in thought.

“I... don’t know,” he faltered. “You just seemed nice. And I don’t tend to kill humans, anyway.”

Emile blinked. “You don’t?”

Remy shook his head. “Nah, I prefer fish. Smaller, tastier, easier to catch.” He gestured vaguely with one hand. “My family’s fond of humans, anyway. You’re funny and sweet, and your flesh isn’t even the tastiest. I mean, we mess with you guys sometimes – play up the predator thing, try to scare as many as we can, make ‘ em squirm – but we’re not the murderous kind.”

“I didn’t know sirens like that existed.”

“Well, the human-eating ones are the ones that surface most. The rest of us keep to ourselves most of the time.”

“Oh, that’s...” Emile searched for the right word. “Nice?”

Remy shrugged.

Then, he rolled into his stomach and pushed himself over to the rock that Emile was standing just beside. He placed his elbows on the smooth surface, and his chin in his hands. 

Remy looked Emile over once more.

“So, you got your question. Now I get mine,” Remy said, the grin returning to his pretty face. “Why did you come back? I mean, if you thought I was  gonna eat you, I would think you’d choose to stay away. It’s  kinda weird to willingly walk into something you think is a trap.”

Emile blinked, surprised at the question, though he had been wondering it himself. His actions didn’t make sense, even in his own head.

“Um... I don’t know,” he fidgeted, fiddling with his hands. “I was just... drawn to you, I guess.”

Remy tilted his head, his brow creasing.

“That is how this works. But it shouldn’t last for long once we’re gone. It must've worn off, and I haven’t even turned it on again since I last saw you. No need for a lure when you came over willingly.” He suddenly surged forward, placing his hands on the rock, pushing himself up and intensely searching Emile’s face for something. His nose was so close it almost bumped against Emile’s. “You aren’t still under the spell, are you?” He spoke in a voice that was almost accusatory.

His stare was strong and impossible to look away from.

Emile leant back instinctively. “No, no. I- I don’t think so. I think I felt it wear off, but I still... I still feel drawn to you. I was just curious about you, I guess.”

(He left out the part about the desire he felt, as he wasn't sure if – positive or negative – he was ready for a reaction to that, just yet.)

Remy hummed, still looking a little confused, but leaning back again when Emile did.

“Huh.”

“Um...” Emile said. “It’s off now, isn’t it?”

Remy nodded, waving his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t feel like messing with you anymore. You’re too... nice. I’m not  gonna eat you, anyway, so there’s no point.”

“Oh, um... okay, then.”

There was a beat.

“So... uh,” Emile continued awkwardly. “Do you come here... often?”

Remy laughed, and it sounded like beautiful music. 

“I come here to relax. The townsfolk don’t visit this beach since I come here so often, they must be afraid of me. And sirens don’t usually spend time on abandoned beaches.”

Emile blinked, something finally clicking in his head. 

“Oh! So  _ that’s  _ why they kept giving me strange looks when I started heading in this direction. Last time and tonight.”

“They think you’re about to die.” Remy nodded. “I’m surprised they didn’t warn you.”

“Well, pirates have almost as bad of a reputation as sirens, so I suppose I’m not surprised. Maybe they were hoping one of us would get rid of the other. The town isn’t so fond of my crew, though we’ve never hurt anyone.”

Remy laughed again, and it set off fluttering butterflies in Emile’s stomach. For a moment, he wondered if he was under Remy’s spell again, but this felt nothing like the magic had before. It felt... genuine, natural butterflies at the wonderful laughter of someone very, very attractive.

Remy flashed another grin at Emile.

“Well, if everyone fears us, then I guess it makes sense for us to be, like, friends, right?”

Emile blinked, surprised, and then smiled back.

“Yeah, I- I guess so.”

***

Emile was sure his crew suspected that something was up. He had made so many excuses to dock in that little town, the one with the beach that he met Remy on.

They had started to meet every time that they could, and as the days passed, Emile found himself more and more drawn to the siren, despite the fact that Remy had seemed determined to never put Emile under his spell again.

Emile was falling hard for the merman, so fast that his brain could hardly keep up with his heart.

Those meetings were some of the best parts of his day – he eagerly awaited them, getting more and more excited the closer they got to the little town, and whenever they docked, he always dashed off, leaving Patton in charge. 

Their second meeting had been cut short, but the third lasted all through the night, until Emile had been half asleep and Remy had  _ insisted _ __ that  he went back to his ship.

The fourth was spent with Remy educating Emile on all kinds of magic: sirens’ spells and ones from creatures Emile had never even heard of!

The fifth was spent discussing their many adventures, all through the night.

And soon after that, Emile had begun to lose count.

He visited whenever he could, which was not as much as he would have liked, but the life of a pirate was spent mostly on the sea. That was what he had chosen, and it was what he loved, though it was inconvenient when he wanted to spend time with any not living on board his ship.

He got butterflies in his stomach every time he saw Remy’s face, especially after many weeks apart, and the way Remy smiled so genuinely at him – unlike that original predatory grin – made Emile wonder, just wonder, if perhaps the feelings were requited, though it was impossible to really tell.

He almost wanted to bring it up, if he wasn’t been so terrified of the possible answers he could have received.

But, this time, when he arrived at the beach late into the night, Remy was not alone.

There were two more mermen – on either side of Remy – one with a shining red and gold tail, and red hair with a gold streak at the front, the other with a metallic green and silver tail, with similar hair, though green and silver and far messier. They all looked up in unison at Emile’s arrival, and the pirate hesitated nervously at the sudden attention and unfamiliar sirens.

The green merman grinned when he saw Emile – similar to Remy’s old predatory grin, though wider and wilder – whilst the other looked more excitedly curious, eyes bright, similar to the smile that Emile had grown oh-so fond of.

And, of course, Remy looked happy to see him, too, and that certainly lessened Emile’s anxiety at the unexpected sirens right in front of him.

“Wow, he’s  _ pretty _ ,” the green merman grinned.

He leant forward, but Remy caught him by his necklace and tugged him back.

“He’s not prey,” Remy chastised. “He’s a friend.”

“A pretty friend.”

The red merman huffed and rolled his eyes. “Calm down, Remus. Remy brought us here to meet him, not to play with him.”

“Can’t we do both?” Remus continued to grin.

“No, you can _ not.” _

_ “ _ Ha!” 

The red and gold merman laughed, sounding like beautiful music, though not stirring up any of the usual butterflies Emile got when he heard Remy’s.

Remy rolled his eyes. “Can you two  chill for, like, just a sec. Don’t make me regret letting you tag alone. I can get rid of you both if you’re dicks.”

“Can you?” Remus flashed his far too sharp teeth, now facing Remy, and Emile swallowed, even though the predatory grin wasn’t shown in his direction.

“Um... hi?” Emile said awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot the other.

All three sirens turned their heads back in Emile’s direction, like they had forgotten he was there for just a moment. He raised his hand – equally awkward as his greeting had been – and gave the three of them a small, friendly wave.

He then shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

The corner of Remy’s lips twitched upwards into a slight smile, though it was so quick and hidden by shadows that Emile almost didn’t notice the fondness in his expression. Though he certainly caught a glimpse of it, he thought he had made it up, and pushed down the warm fuzzy feeling that had begun to blossom in his chest,

“Hey,” Remy responded, sliding closer to the rock, pulling himself up and sitting on it. He then gestured to the merman on either side of him. “These are my little brothers: Roman and Remus.”

He gestured to each of them in turn, as Roman let out an offended gasp, hand over heart.

“Little?” He exclaimed. “We are hardly younger than you are. Mere minutes, you  _ peasant _ !”

“Yeah, that’s minutes of experience, bitch.”

“Oh!” Emile smiled, feeling significantly less anxious than before. “They’re your family?”

“Yup!” Remus threw his arm around Remy’s shoulders. “Only one this dick has got.”

Remy spluttered, pushing Remus away. “Hey!  _ You’re  _ the dick.”

Emile laughed into the palm of his hand as Remy and Remus’s antics continued. Like this, they were not terrifying predators of the sea, they were just people. They were brothers, and they were just like human brothers, though with tails, gills and fins. Brothers who fought, sure, but brothers who clearly seemed to care about each other, too.

Emile opened his mouth to say something, but, before he could, he heard a voice from somewhere down the beach.

“Emile?” The mysterious voice called out. “Are you there?”

Everyone’s heads turned to the direction of the new arrival: the mermen going tenser and looking ready to pounce, which would have been intimidating if Emile hadn’t just witnessed their harmless bickering. They waited for the new person to turn a corner and join them, and, when they did, Emile relaxed again.

It was just Patton.

Patton with a sword strapped to his belt – where it always was – but still the glasses-wearing, pun-loving friend of Emile who meant the best in every situation. He was harmless, at least to them.

“Ooh, who’s that?” Remus exclaimed, pushing himself up on the rock to get a better look at Patton through the darkness. “He looks  _ delicious _ .”

His eyes were bright and excited and his grin was wide and similarly delighted.

Roman elbowed Remus in the side.

“You stop that,” Roman scolded.

“Ouch, hey! I didn’t mean it like  _ that _ .”

“Um...” Patton stopped, looking between the merfolk and Emile with a nervous expression. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s alright, Patton” Emile reassured Patton, taking a step closer to him. “What do you need?”

Patton gave Emile a relieved smile. “Oh, right. I just came to tell you that there was, uh...” he laughed awkwardly, running his fingers through his hair. “There may have been a barfight between our crew and some of the townspeople, and we may have been, um... kicked out.”

Emile blinked, and then stifled a laugh with the palm of his hand.

“Oh dear.”

“Oh dear, indeed!” Patton laughed, too. “So, we’re  sorta unwelcome in town tonight, and some of our guys  wanna go. We have all the supplies we need, so... I just thought I should ask.”

Emile frowned. “Oh, um...” He glanced back at Remy, who looked disappointed, before turning to Patton again. He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Okay, I- I'll be there, just  give me a minute. Could you go tell the guys to get ready?”

“Right, got it,” Patton nodded. 

He, too, glanced at the mermen again, giving them a small smile and a wave, before turning around and heading back the way he’d come.

Remy turned to his brothers as Emile turned back to the three of them.

“Okay, could you guys go? I  wanna talk to Emile  for a sec.”

“Of course,” Roman nodded. He looked between Remy and Emile, and gave his brother a teasing grin, reaching out and mussing up his hand with webbed fingers. “Have fun, you two,” he practically sang.

Remy spluttered, reaching up to adjust his hair as Roman dragged the protesting Remus away.

And soon, it was just Remy and Emile remaining. Remy gestured for Emile to come closer to him.

“So, uh... guess we’ll just have to meet again soon, right?”

“As soon as we can,” Emile nodded.

“You know, this might just be easier if I meet you on your ship.”

Emile pulled a face. “I know, but... I don’t think my crew would react well. Some of them have had bad experiences with sirens and, um, I’m pretty sure they’d be more ‘attack first and ask questions later’ you know? Seems like a bad idea to put any of us in that position.”

“Right, right,” Remy looked disappointed. “Okay then, well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around, huh?”

Emile gave a small, equally disappointed smile. “Yeah, of course. And, um, I can finish telling you that story I started for you last time: about that play, if you remember?”

“Oh, right! That play about the magic rock women from the stars, right?”

“Aww, you remembered?”

“ Of course, I remembered,” Remy said, like it was something obvious. “I’ve got a great memory.”

“Oh, is that a siren thing?”

“Nah.” Remy shook his head with a grin. “It’s a me thing.”

Emile laughed. “Right, right, a Remy thing. Remy things are the best things.”

“You know it.

Emile’s smile turned fond. “Well, as much as I wish to stay, Remy. I really do have to get going, I’m sorry.”

“I guess this is goodbye. For now, obviously. You can’t get rid of me that quickly!”

“I wouldn’t want to,” Emile said, perhaps too softly for a retaliation against teasing.

But Remy’s expression immediately reflected the softness on Emile’s own face, and Emile’s heart skipped a beat in his chest.

Suddenly, before Emile could even process it, Remy leant forward and pressed a kiss to Emile’s cheek – feather-light and lasting even less than a second, before Remy pulled back again. His expression was fond, but the rest of it was undecipherable, even with Emile’s people skills.

He smiled. “See you around, Emile.”

***

The next town they docked at used to be Emile’s favourite – it was large, and plays happened often, that Emile tried to catch every time he visited – though its place in his heart had been overtaken by the town he always met Remy at. He still loved it, but now he felt only disappointment as he stepped into it, as he wished he had gotten to spend more time at the last.

Multiple members of his crew had asked him what was wrong – he was their beloved captain, after all: they all cared deeply for one another – but he hadn’t told anyone but Patton the reasons for his disappointment.

He sighed as he surveyed the bustling streets. Every person looked cheerful and wonderful in their own ways, but they were not Remy.

Then, all of a sudden, Emile felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Miss me?”

His eyes widened at the voice he recognised, and he spun around.

There was Remy, stood right in front of Emile with his usual grin, but with legs this time. His tail and fins and gills and webbed fingers were all gone; he looked the same, but human. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, as he never did, but he had found a pair of trousers to cover up with. His feet remained bare.

In the sunlight, Emile could see Remy’s face much clearer than in the darkness of all their other meetings. His eyes were gorgeous, even prettier in the light, and there were dark freckles speckled over his nose, just under the markings that were usually there, but having disappeared along with the rest of his obviously-merman features.

It was strange to see him like that; Emile preferred him in his natural form, but he had to admit that Remy still looked just as gorgeous and perfect as ever.

He even attracted stares from many of the passers-by, though some of them could have come from Emile’s obviously-pirate clothing,

Emile gaped. “Remy, you’re here?” He exclaimed.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Remy teased. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course, I missed you. But- but how are you here? And how do you have-”

“Legs?” Remy interrupted, seeming incredibly amused. “Magic, duh.”

“Oh, um... right, right. But, why are you here?”

“To see you,” Remy answered simply.

“But... how did you know I’d be here.”

Remy rolled his eyes, though he never stopped smiling fondly. He reached forward, taking Emile’s hands into his own, slightly damp ones and squeezing them firmly.

“Come  _ on _ , Emile.” Every time he said that name, it sounded like music from his lips. “You talk about the towns you pass through all the time. This one is always after that one,  bla bla bla . It wasn’t hard to figure it out.”

“So... you came all the way here just to see me?”

“Well, it’s not like we had much time to talk last time, you know? Figured I’d come find you myself, ‘cos, like, who knows when the next time we’d get to talk would’ve been.”

Emile gave Remy a small, fond smile. “Aww, Remy. You’re the sweetest.”

This time, stood in the light of the midday sun, Emile could see Remy’s face clearly, and he could certainly see how Remy  _ blushed  _ at that.”

“Well, um...” Remy glanced away for just a second. “I had something to tell you, too.”

“Oh, what is it?”

Remy looked at Emile’s face again, meeting his eyes.

“Not here,” he said firmly. “Let’s find somewhere private. There’s a beach nearby, we can find an empty spot to talk in. That’s how I got here.”

“Okay, lead the way, then.”

Remy tugged on Emile’s hand, carefully leading him away from the town and towards the nearest beach: one that Emile had been to a few times before, though he wasn’t nearly as familiar with it as he was with the  one they usually met on. They walked for a few minutes, until they came across an area devoid of other people, where the waves lapped at the sand and the sun shone down between clouds.

“So,” Emile said. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Can I kiss you?” Remy asked suddenly. “I’m not good at this whole ‘talking’ thing, so can I just kiss you? I think it would get my point across pretty well.”

Emile’s mouth dropped open.

Remy deflated. “Ah, shit. Did I just-”

But before he could finish that sentence, Emile lunged forward, clumsily pressing his lip’s to Remy’s in a firm kiss. Remy immediately kissed back – without even a millisecond of hesitation – clutching the front of Emile’s shirt as Emile brought his hands up to cup Remy’s face.

“Wow,” Emile mumbled into the kiss when he had to pull back to breathe. “You taste of sea water.”

Remy laughed, and the sound vibrated against Emile’s lips, rumbling through his chest and making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like he wanted to kiss Remy and never stop.

“And you taste of air. Let’s keep saying obvious things. I’ll go first, you’re gorgeous.”

Emile erupted into giggles, pushing lightly against Remy’s shoulders.

“Don’t tease me.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Remy paused, pulling back just enough for Emile to see the grin on his face. “You know what, actually, I’m not sorry.”

Emile giggled again, and then watched as Remy glanced away – at the sea – and then back at Emile again. His eyes lit up, and his grin became mischievous in a way that made Emile simultaneously both nervous and excited.

“What are you-”

All of a sudden, Remy tipped backwards, tugging on Emile’s shirt and pulling him down into the waves with him. Before Emile could question him, his siren features returned in a flash of light – the exact moment that he hit the water – he flapped his tail, pulling them in deeper and moving underwater, bringing Emile with him. 

Emile instinctively gasped for breath, something incredibly stupid to do underwater. But he immediately found that he could  _ breathe _ , he could breathe underwater.

He gaped at Remy.

Remy continued to grin at him. “Siren kisses can make you breathe underwater,” he explained.

“And- and you couldn’t have warned me?”

“Sorry,” Remy said sheepishly, though he was still smiling. “I got excited.”

“How long will it last?”

Remy shrugged. “A few minutes? Then you’d need another kiss.”

Emile’s eyes drifted down, back to Remy’s lips. “And if I never stopped kissing you?”

Remy’s grin widened. “Then we’d never need to stop for breath.”


End file.
